Ticats' new stadium won't be ready for first two home games of season

CP

HAMILTON - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' new stadium will not be ready in time to host the team's first two home games of the season.

The team confirmed in a release Monday that the games scheduled at Tim Hortons Field July 26 against Ottawa and July 31 against Winnipeg will be moved to McMaster University's Ron Joyce Stadium due to construction delays.

"Today's meeting with Toronto 2015, Infrastructure Ontario, ONSS and the City of Hamilton has made it clear that it would not be possible to safely deliver a game experience that would meet our standards within the current timeframe," Ticats CEO Scott Mitchell said in a release. "As a result, we will now host our first two home games at Ron Joyce Stadium.

"After holding our home pre-season game on campus last month, we know that we can deliver an outstanding entertainment experience at McMaster. In the coming weeks, we will have greater certainty regarding our August 16 game, but the builders remain adamant that Tim Hortons Field will be ready no later than Labour Day."

Tim Hortons Field will also serve as a key venue for next year's Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Games.

It's been a long time since the Ticats have been able to play in their own stadium. They spent the entirety of last season at the University of Guelph while their new stadium was under construction.

The Ticats opened the season with a pair of road games — a 31-10 loss to Saskatchewan and a 28-24 defeat to Edmonton.